Faculty & Staff: Overview of Services

Overview of the Office of AccessABILITY Services for Faculty and Staff

In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, the Office of AccessABILITY (for students with disabilities) ensures the availability of accommodations for all self identified students with documented disabilities. An accommodation does not compromise the essential elements of a course or curriculum, nor does it weaken the academic standards or integrity of a course. Accommodations provide the means by which to accomplish the course activities by eliminating or reducing barriers caused by the disability or the medical condition. Disability Specialists and Counselors provide guidance, personal and academic support.

Reasonable Accommodations

Eligibility for reasonable accommodations is based upon supporting medical, educational and or psychological documentation. Accommodations are given to students with learning disabilities, mobility, visual or hearing impairments, emotional or physical conditions, medical and chronic illnesses such as cancer and liver diseases, and those recovering from alcohol or substance abuse. Office of AccessABILITY also offers assistance to students with temporary disabilities due to an accident or short-term health conditions.

The Office of AccessABILITY encourages all students to voluntarily disclose information regarding the nature and extent of their disability(s) and or medical conditions, and provide supporting documentation(s) in order to receive reasonable accommodations.

Upon students’ request, a letter regarding students’ accommodations is sent to each instructor to inform them about their class and or testing accommodations at the beginning of each semester or at the time of their admission to the program. Reasonable accommodations and support provided through the Office of AccessABILITY include:

Academic Advising and Program Planning

Alternative Testing Location

Braille

Counseling

Digital/Tape Recorders

Handouts Provided in Enlarged Print

Lockers for the Mobility Impaired

Note-takers

Priority Registration

Sign Language Interpreters

Testing Accommodations

TTY’s / FM Transmitters

Tutoring Referral

Other Accommodations, as required

Alternative testing conditions are provided through the use of proctors employed by the Office of AccessABILITY. For access to the testing procedures please see Testing Guidelines.

The Access & Technology CenterThe Access and Technology Centeris a study, testing and accessible technology center. The center has both PCs and Macs with voice, scanning and enlarging software. Training seminars and tutorials are available from the Access Center staff.

Please direct all your related questions to the Office of AccessABILITY at (212) 772-4857, located in Room 1214B East Building.